Comments on David Alison's Blog: Raising kids in an online world

I have four daughters, 26 years to 17 years. I di...

2008-11-27T22:43:00.000-05:00

I have four daughters, 26 years to 17 years. I didn't put any software on the computers to monitor e-mail. One day, I was informed by the parents of one of my third daughter's friends that she was involved in a cult. This is when she was fourteen. This wasn't a "computer/internet" only thing, but that is what enabled us to find out about it. The computer was in a public area of the house, and since it was mainly text based e-mail and sent through a web mail account, the over the shoulder method did not work. We were fortunate that her friend did not use a web mail account and his father "found an e-mail".

OpenDNS is something I also recommend to everyone ...

2008-11-22T00:09:00.000-05:00

OpenDNS is something I also recommend to everyone (set at the router and on our laptops as well, for when we're at someone else's house). Our son is 8 years old and he mostly watches LEGO movies on YouTube or educational movies on BrainPop Jr., so his interaction online is limited to the occasional iChat with cousins; I had restrictive Parental Control settings in Leopard but have relaxed them somewhat. Every child is different, so parents will have to figure out what works for them as a family.

I have to admin I never thought being a parent wou...

2008-11-21T21:14:00.000-05:00

I have to admin I never thought being a parent would be so fun. I have a 17 month old daughter and I am apprehensive what it will be like when she is old enough to really understand what can be done with a computer and what will be available. I remember when I got my first computer a Atari 800 xl and then a 300 baud modem back in 1982 or some time around there. All I can do is wait and see.

@Charles and Paul: Thanks for the feedback guys. T...

2008-11-21T16:35:00.000-05:00

@Charles and Paul: Thanks for the feedback guys. The most difficult time for me was when the kids were in middle-school and early high school (8th and 9th grade). That's the age when they stop being children and start to function more like very young adults. They tend to challenge you in ways they hadn't up to that point.

Paul, I agree completely on getting more involved as they get older. Just because they become proficient with the tech doesn't mean they know best how to use it.

I have two small children 3 1/2 and 20 months. As ...

2008-11-21T14:17:00.000-05:00

I have two small children 3 1/2 and 20 months. As parents we try to limit our children's screen time as much as possible (tv, computer). At this early age kids brains are still being wired and and you have to be very conscious of their screen time.

Having said that, computers can be a useful tool. Since my son can't type yet I can help him communicate with my family in the midwest by sending video messages through facebook. My son loves to tell them about his day or his latest knock-knock joke.

As our kids grow older and start using technology more it is going to be important for us as parents to be involved in their online activities.

It will also be important to help provide a balance between online and offline activities.

The first step is to setup an opendns.org account ...

2008-11-21T13:47:00.000-05:00

The first step is to setup an opendns.org account and change your router to use that as the DNS server. That will serve as your last line of defense and provide a 95% solution to web filtering. The second step is to make sure that your children have time limits. The third step is to put the computers they can use in a public space. Don't give them laptops or disallow the taking of laptops into their closed-door rooms. Beyond that it's a graduated process - start them off without chat or email and work them up as they get older.